Blackhawks to make 12 exclusive appearances on national TV during 2011-12 season

Blackhawks to make 12 exclusive appearances on national TV during 2011-12 season

In conjunction with National Hockey League Broadcast Rightsholders NBC and VERSUS, the league announced today that 12 Chicago Blackhawks games will be broadcast exclusively on national television during the 2011-12 regular season. Under the current agreement between the NHL and its broadcast partners, 12 exclusive national telecasts is the maximum allowed for a single club.

Chicago’s match up against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, February 21 at the United Center will be broadcast nationally on VERSUS in addition to airing locally on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, increasing the Blackhawks’ total national television appearances to 13.

Seven of the 13 scheduled appearances on national television for the Blackhawks are on VERSUS, beginning when the club faces off against the Phoenix Coyotes at the United Center on Monday, December 5 at 7:30 P.M. CT.

Additionally, Chicago’s final four scheduled nationally televised contests may be aired on either NBC or VERSUS, and will be decided upon once the league and networks announce those games as part of their flex scheduling agreement. The complete list of games is below:

2011 Blackhawks National Broadcast Schedule

Date

Opp.

Time

TV

Mon., Dec 5

vs. Phoenix Coyotes

7:00 p.m.

VERSUS

Wed, Dec. 14

at Minnesota Wild

6:30 p.m.

VERSUS

Tue, Dec. 20

at Pittsburgh Penguins

6:30 p.m.

VERSUS

Sun., Jan. 8

vs. Detroit Red Wings

6:30 p.m.

VERSUS

Sat., Jan. 14

at Detroit Red Wings

11:30 a.m.

NBC

Wed., Jan. 18

vs. Buffalo Sabres

6:30 p.m.

VERSUS

Sun., Feb. 19

vs. St. Louis Blues

2:00 p.m.

NBC

Tue., Feb. 21

vs. Detroit Red Wings

7:00 p.m.

VERSUS**

Sun., Feb. 26

at Anaheim Ducks

6:00 p.m.

VERSUS

Sun., Mar. 11

vs. Los Angeles Kings

6:00 p.m.

VERSUS/NBC*

Sun., Mar. 18

vs. Washington Capitals

6:00 p.m.

VERSUS/NBC*

Sun., Mar. 25

vs. Nashville Predators

6:30 p.m.

VERSUS/NBC*

Sat., Apr. 7

at Detroit Red Wings

3:00 p.m.

VERSUS/NBC*

(*-Indicates flex game to be carried exclusively on VERSUS or NBC)(**- Indicates game is not exclusive to VERSUS and will also be broadcast in Chicago market on CSN)

In conjunction with the announcement of the NHL’s national broadcast schedule in the United States and Canada, start times for six Blackhawks games during the 2011-12 regular season campaign have been adjusted from those previously announced. The complete list of time changes is below:

Game Time Changes

Date

Opp.

New Time (CT)

Old Time (CT)

Mon., Dec 5

vs. Phoenix Coyotes

7:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

Wed, Dec. 14

at Minnesota Wild

6:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

Tue, Dec. 20

at Pittsburgh Penguins

6:30 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

Tue. Feb. 21

vs. Detroit Red Wings

7:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 25

at Los Angeles Kings

7:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m.

Fri., Mar. 2

at Ottawa Senators

6:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

For the fourth consecutive season, the remaining Blackhawks games in 2011-12 – home and away – will be televised in HD on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and WGN-TV, the official television broadcasting partners of the Blackhawks. Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk will provide the television coverage. In addition, every game in 2011-12 can be heard on the radio home of the Blackhawks, WGN Radio 720, with John Wiedeman and Troy Murray calling the action. The complete Blackhawks television broadcast schedule will be released at a later date.